The Flame in the Forge (A Slice of Life Isekai LitRPG)

Information

Status

Hiatus

Year

2022

Author

Drew Royston

• Chapter 17: A slayer of (small) beasts
  Jun 21, 2022
• Chapter 16: The ways of the woods
  Jun 20, 2022
• Chapter 15: Survival skills
  Jun 17, 2022
• Chapter 14: The eyes of a wolf
  Jun 16, 2022
• Chapter 13: The Lord of Misrule
  Jun 15, 2022
• Chapter 12: To heal and to forge
  Jun 14, 2022
• Chapter 11: The cost of apprenticeship
  Jun 13, 2022
• Chapter 10: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took...
  Jun 13, 2022
• Chapter 9: Ya gotta have some class
  Jun 10, 2022
• Chapter 8: Grinding out Skills
  Jun 10, 2022
• Chapter 7: How much wood does a woodcutter cut, when a woodcutter does cut wood?
  Jun 9, 2022
• Chapter 6: Niall’s nugatory numbers
  Jun 9, 2022
• Chapter 5: A battle of wills
  Jun 8, 2022
• Chapter 4: Do you believe in L’Fae-ries?
  Jun 8, 2022
• Chapter 3: A blade in the dark
  Jun 7, 2022
• Chapter 2: People are strange, when you’re a stranger
  Jun 7, 2022
• Chapter 1: A fight in the forest
  Jun 6, 2022

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• k1996Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Even though the story is LitRPG, I really like the mechanism behind leveling and gaining of classes and skills. The story moves at a much more relastic pace and the main characters doesn't become OP from the onset which is a nice change from most of the stories of the genre on here.
  The pacing so far is very good and the main character well fleshed out, some time could be dedicated to supporting characters.
• BadsheepsRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This story is well written and well presented. The magic/skill system is well thought out and is huge. It is a true Litrpg or Game Lit, but does not overwhelm the reader at all with status boxs. The characters feel real and are memorable. The world is typical fantasy and there are little to no referances to the real world, so if your looking to fall deep into a story, then this may be one for you.
  While it may describe itself as a crafting and blacksmithing story. I would say its largely about the main character growing his survival skills and knowledge of the world.
  The battle sceens are easy to visualize, along with the weapon skills.
  The perspective is as far as I can remember only from the main characters point of view. There is no hopping around between unnecessary characters, or the villians. It is presented as a journey, from the main characters point of view, along with the mysterys he is struggling with.
  There are no skip paragraphs, or chapters. There are no beach episodes bath sceens, repeated meal sceens, no shitty rip offs of animes anywhere. Every bit is relevant!
  My only complaint is that the main character whines too often and is not as cutthroat as I would imagine he should be. But maybe im just ruthless, and read to many Xianxias.
  I personally wait to read a new chapter untill I have had a cup of coffee in the morning, so that I can enjoy it to the fullest.
  I am no writer, editor, or even someone who should be aloud to fill out my own paperwork. But I have found few if any grammatical errors. The writing style and quality are extremely professional. I would be surprised if this author keeps writing for free, for much longer.
  Also, the author regularly puts out chapters!
  I would highly recommend this book!
• Edge ValmondRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Style:
  I do not grade style, but if I have to give something. Know it is in third person PoV, and it is easy to follow. So, shouldn't be issues with it.
  Grammar:
  I did find an issue here and there, but nothing to detract from the story.
  Story:
  A place governing two realities it is seeming, where if one dies the other takes their place. This essentially meaning, upon the erasure of one, the other will fill that void. Which this is an interesting concept I will admit. As the character is finding themselves trying to make sense what happened, being naked when they got into that place. Learning of his surroundings as he goes along. Which to mention, the story really does well with the world building. Pretty precise in fact, which is a stronger point of it to say. Learning about the world, those having difficulty in adjusting. A common thing in place, but understandable. Going into certain boundaries, as to be expected I suppose.
  Characters:
  A wide range of them, each somewhat in the same situation. However, this new world becoming their way of life. The main character adjusting to this, finding himself more in a world seeming unrealistic, like a dream. Though, this being quite real. Skills, magic, monsters. Though, what sticks, is how the characters adapt to the situation they are in.
  Overall, a slowly progressing book, and this isn’t a bad thing. It gives time to appreciate the smaller things. Such as the situation they are in, on top of this. I haven’t come across a blue box yet, which is easier on the eyes. Let alone, focusing more on the story. There are classes, skills, and stats as well. An entertaining read, and definitely going in a direction. Given the smaller points, I’d say this is a unique take on things. However, there is a slight critique. The sentence structure are too short at times, so it leads to abrupt stops a bit too much. I think other than this, the story does well, try and use a bit more commas. Anyway, give this story a go, I’d say it is worth th
• HWPerfidyRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Story: So far it’s been great! Niall’s a regular office worker who’s been summoned to another world by some malicious force whose name might be a spoiler. He’s weak, he’s pathetic, but he’s slowly working his way up to improve himself and get stronger. Contrary to a lot of litrpgs I’ve seen, Niall has to work hard for his skills and his attribute increases. There aren’t any earth shattering events happening, or at least not yet, but little conflicts and little achievements that really sell the realism of the story. Niall’s not overpowered, he’s just a guy trying his best to find his way in the world, and I’m really enjoying how it’s going so far.
  Style: I love slow, thoughful prose (contrary to most people on Royal Road it seems). It just feels nice to read a story as if you're in the main character's mind, piecing together information bit by bit just like how you'd normally do in real life. The author manages to pull this off flawlessly. The style is comfortable and pondering, like taking a nice stroll along the seafront. Not too rushed, but not so slow that it drags the pace down. Fantastic work.
  Niall feels incredibly realistic, reacting realistically to being thrown into unknown circumstances. He's a likeable protagonist who, while making mistakes at times, still allows us to sympathise with his position and cheer him on.
  Grammar: No mistakes I could see.
  Overall: This story is incredibly polished, and an amazing reading experience as long as you're willing to take the time to enjoy it. Keep up the good work, author. And take my follow and favourite. You deserve it.
• JEPayneRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  So I'll be upfront: this review was agreed to as part of a review swap. The agreed review point was chapter 5. I've now read everything the author has put up and followed so I'll know as soon as there is more! This is one of the most capably written and constructed isekai stories I have found on Royal Road, the technical proficiency of the writing and quality of the characters (looking at you, Pobble) are well and truly above the website standard.
  Style - the author's style reminds me of Brandon Sanderson. The prose is pragmatic enough so as not to distract the reader from the events happening on the page, but its still rich enough to create a vivid image in my mind of the world and characters.
  Story - I will be honest, this is a bit of a pre-emptive 5 stars based on what I have seen so far. The 'big' big picture is still being revealed at the time of this review, but the way it has been handled so far speaks volumes of the author's ability to craft an engaging narrative. What I've seen is tantalising, hinting at powerful players pulling strings behind the scenes and one, initially confused, protagonist trying to figure it all out. I also appreciated that this was not a blatant power fantasy, I've no doubt the protagonist will grow to become formidable in his own right, but its a power he is having to earn!
  Grammar - almost flawless, some minor typos but nothing that detracts from the story
  Character - the author really shines here. All of the characters feel distinct and fully fleshed out. I won't name names, I'll let you, the reader, meet them all in time, but there wasn't a single character that failed to make an impression. And Pobble. My God that little guy is fantastic!
  All in all, I think this story is destined for the Best Rated list
• Ser Horace GrantRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I will preface by saying this will not be everyone's cup of tea. Like most novels on this site this is reflected in the score by a majority of 5 star reviews by people who enjoyed and stuck with the story and a few more 0,5 star reviews from people maybe 4 chapters in.
  The novel is grounded, it takes things slow to show the transformation from soft city dweller preparing presentations to a professional soldier. It makes sense, and seems to be well researched. The routines feel real, the problems feel real and the characters feel real. But in a more grounded and "boring" sense if you will, we are shown in great detail how powerless the mc is to affect the outside world, and that can grate on some readers.
  I am absolutely in love with the novel because it scratches a lot of my itches, but can't readily recommend this to everyone, I would say try it out if you don't mind the lack of agency at the beginning, if you like medieval military novels, and generally a more slice of life grounded approach to litrp (not many blue boxes in this one, and everything is earned).
  In a personal note to the author, really respect the word count and schedule to put out quality content. Don't be discouraged by the 0,5 star reviews, those are par for the course. Cherish those who comment every chapter and read them instantly on release. Also I'd like my long winded author notes back pls, enjoyed reading them and thought they were a good way to connect with us readers.
  Keep up the good work, I'll be following closely to see where it goes
• WhitewolfgwentRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I am really enjoying this novel so far, it's everything I look for when I read. I fully recommend this book if you're like me, and love lengthy fantasy style novels with a solid foundation. Everything from the character's intro to the building of character (Niall) draws me in. Then there's of course the skills like blacksmithing among others which is the reason I started reading the novel the author doesn't disappoint, the litRPG style and the way Niall earns his attributes and skills is a bit different but refreshing from the other novels I've read.
  If you're debating on reading this book and haven't started yet let me save you sometime it is worth the read.
• cowllumiRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  As of making this review, I've just finished Chapter 6.
  Style: The author's writing is beautiful and evocative. There were several times when he was describing the sky or a really nice food where I found myself thinking 'wow, this guy's good'.
  Story: Spoilers ahead, but I don't think I've ever read an isekai where the character arrives in the world and finds another person who's been isekai'd before. This dynamic of mentor and mentee drives the story so far, with the mentor character helping the MC along. The premise is what you might expect; to get home. It's hard to explain it, but there's something about the setup that's very charming in this story! It feels like a lot of work and care went into it, and I'm excited to be along for the ride.
  Grammar: Really good! Mostly impeccable, and the errors I saw were around dialogue, which is really hard to punctuate. They were really tiny, and didn't take away from the reading experience in any way.
  Character: I think Niall is intended to be the kind of character that the reader can insert themselves into the story as. This isn't a bad thing - more of a neutral thing, if anything. Where this story shines is its side characters. Everyone has felt distinct and lively, from the dog to the mentor.
  Pobble is my favourite! They're quippy and cute.
  Overall: This story is making me regret having so little time to read. If you like isekai RPGs where the system is a character, or just have eyes and like to read with them, try this out!
• A.T. OliverRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  The Style: The author displays an advanced level of stylistic comprehension. Sentences are short and sometimes medium length. Because of this, the flow can be choppy at times, but that lends to the flow more than it is a detractor and helped with the engagement. The fast pace of the style is one I find refreshing!
  The Story: While this is undoubtedly an Isekai conceptually, it's also very unique in both the setting and context. Niall is forced into a new world with its own rules, mythos, culture, and inhabitants. I won't spoil anything here. Just know the story's direction and feel are Shaman-esque in the best ways. How that changes is something I look forward to finding out.
  The Grammar: I didn't find much wrong with spelling or grammar. Maybe If I ran it through Grammarly, I could find a handful of things, a lot of which would likely be stylistic. That's ultimately not a problem in my eyes—definitely a clean read.
  The Character: Niall is a well-crafted character, one that might sit on the border of unstable in some situations—but who could blame him, really. I found myself liking Niall and his choices and decisions. He's a family man like myself, and I can relate to that warmth he craves. I could also see myself feeling just as blindsided if I blinked and found everything completely different.
  I look forward to finding out whether or not he can overcome his hesitancies. As I find a lot of characters in these kinds of stories, struggle to accept their position a little too much, but that's likely more my tastes than it is any flaw within the author's portrayal of Niall.
  Overall: This is such an exciting read. The style, characters, and setting all feel very fresh. The worldbuilding is a shining example of how well such a concept can be realized. The main character is memorable, likable, and even relatable. I am excited to see how it all turns out. All in all, excellent work.
• baelrathRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  Both due to the story line as well as the character growth, this story takes a bit to reach potential. This is important. Stick with the story. I can easily say that only on reaching latest chapter, 37, has this story believably grown into its own.
  Story follows a reluctant white collar city dweller as they're taken into another world. MC struggles to adapt and realize what he had, no longer works, and he must reforge himself to survive.
  This world is harsh, but has its own beauty. Very skyrim nordic feel. However, once that determination is made, slowly they find resolve and find enjoyment in the reforging process.
  MC is an acquired taste. They do not immediately embrace the isekai life. They also don't appear to have any special bonus being Isekai'd, other than some hindsight to certain situations after the fact to give context they and the reader wouldn't have otherwise.
  They come off as whiny and despondant and entitled to start so that readers can appriciate their growth as they start to follow and enjoy their new rustic circumstance.
  Plot is, as mentioned, Skyrim like in terms of tech and realities of daily life for the common man. Story is moving along at a good pace, time skips used well to show growth and adequate spacing to accomodate it.
  Other mechanicals don't need mentioning. They are good and any errors don't distract from the story.
  The characters and dialogue is where this story shines. They are each unqiue people, even if only given a few chapters or even a few lines. They feel real. Especially the really annoying shits you wanna hurt.
  Story starts off slow to build into something juicy, stick with it. Similar to MC growth, don't let their initial attitude put you off the story. This one has growth that feels earned, not given after a "chapter 10 tutorial finish boss fight".